SISTER OF SAINT MARY

Sister of Saint Mary –  Sister Mary Odilia of St. Joseph, S.S.M.                                                                                                                              “Smallpox Sister”                                                                                        “They are all God’s children.  Turn no one away.”    –  Mother Mary Odilia

Foundress:  Mother Mary Odilia Berger  (“Lady with the basket”)  (Anna Katherine Berger)

Place:  St. Louis, Missouri

Year:  1874 A.D.

Her Charism:  In the spirit of her foundress, this Sister of Saint Mary lives the Gospel courageously.  Driven by faith she gives her life selflessly by being the presence of the loving, serving, compassionate, healing Jesus in a powerful and lasting way to all her brothers and sisters, especially the poor and those on the fringes of society.  By engaging in the sacred ministries of nursing, teaching, and missionary work, she gives herself completely to Christ.  The basket that her foundress once carried while tending the sick in their homes is a symbol for her life in the present- open to God and all her brothers and sisters to graciously give and humbly receive.  This Sister understands too well that healthcare is more than medicine; it is about presence – taking the time to listen and understand, holding a hand, saying a prayer.  She listens both to “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”